Any tips from people who travel a lot for work?

Zascar

Got a new job and I'm going to be doing plenty of travel around the Middle East, Russa, Africa etc. Would like some tips from those who have done the same. Firstly I want to collect as many air miles and points etc as possible - is there a better way to do it than have different accounts with all the various airlines?

What other advice would anyone have?

huskerdu

Buy a toilet bag and doubles of all the basics (toohbrush, hair brush, etc) and keep it packed, always. Don't unpack it. Its hassle to always be packing and unpacking it and you will forget things.
Put in all the little things that are annoying to do without ( nail scissors, charging cables, lipbalm, sunglasses, paracetomol).

If you read, buy a kindle, if you don't already have one.

I used to do a lot of one day trips and I had a bag of essentials permanently in my briefcase.

Arnold Layne

Sign up for Hotel Loyalty Programnes as well as the points can be converted to air miles.

Try to stick with one airline of possible as the more air miles you get the more benefits such as Lounge access and Fast Track.

Buy the likes of Melatonin when abroad to help with Jet Lag

ted1

Get all the injections that you can.

Airlines lose baggage so keep a change of clothes in your hand luggage

kindalen

Read up on sites like

www.flyertalk.com

coylemj

Travel socks and travel ear plugs. If you're going to be out and about in those countries, it might be best to have a mobile other than an iPhone and wear a cheap watch but not a fake Rolex. Your phone and watch are big giveaways when it comes to your desirability as a would-be mugging victim.

A Former CIA Officer’s Tips for Avoiding Death, Prison, and Hospital While You Travel

Batgurl

Consider buying a priority pass card (or getting a credit card with one included) so you can access lounges at all airports regardless of who you are flying. Mine has paid for itself 10 times over.

I would also set up a hotels.com account and book all your hotels stays through this. For every 10 nights booked you get one free so you can keep this and use for personal use.

Noise cancelling headphones; beats or Bose or similar, are a must.

Also invest in a decent reusable water bottle. Most airports have water fountains past security. You’ll save a fortune and help the environment if you have your own water bottle.

Batgurl

Mr.S wrote: »

Which priority pass card do you use? I have Aerlingus lounge access, but often a pain when not travelling with them or at an Airport where they don't have a proper lounge.

Prestige so unlimited free visits for me and a guest. I get it free through my credit card though but even if I didn’t, I think I’d get it again. It’s about €300 per year (I frequently see discount codes for 25% off though) but well worth it.

You get unlimited food and drink (including alcohol) in most lounges as well as a nice quiet place to wait for your flight. When you consider how much you spend on airport food, snacks, coffee or beers (maybe €10-€20 per person, per flight) you only have to fly 15-30 flights (which is only 8-15 trips) a year to make your money back (even less if you bring a guest each time).

Plus going to the lounge means I’m never tempted to hit duty-free and buy unecessary things I don’t need!

Dublin has 2 very fine priority pass lounges (T2 even has cans of Club Orange and Guinness!) but the quality of the lounges vary from country to country. USA ones aren’t great for example but the lounge in Venice is a work of art.

KaneToad

If the chance arises to move to a role with less travel, grab it! It's not all its cracked up to be...

ArthurG

I do a lot of travel a week at a time. You’ll quickly grow to hate airports and want to get out of them as quickly as possible. I almost exclusively travel now with handbaggage to avoid hanging around waiting for luggage. Once you travel to Africa a few times you’ll also appreciate not waiting to see if your bag is going to appear.

veetwin

Agree with most of the above. Here is a couple of my tips;

1. Get a passport card. At least you can travel within the EU while your passport is away getting visas.

2. Get a decent set of wireless over ear noise cancelling headphones.

3. Load up your ipad/tablet with plenty of movies/tv shows. They really shorten long flights.

4. Get a decent power bank that will charge your devices several times over a trip.

5. Get a decent wheeled hand luggage case. I have a Samsonite 16 years old and it is as good as new despite plenty of use. Only check in bags if absolutely necessary.

6. Try to get a feel for the airline/alliance you will end up using the most. I use Lufthansa and find the ff programme pretty good. No point being a member of 2 airlines in the same alliance. Make every mile count including hotels and car hire.

7. As stated if travelling in economy frequently the Priority Pass is worth it.


8. Lastly enjoy it. Getting paid to travel is a privilege I rarely tire of 16 years in and have been to countries and seen and done things I would never have seen or done

Zascar

Thanks all this is great advice. I'm going to be based in Dubai and travelling around the middle east, Eastern Europe and a little of Russia and Africa. I'm not enamoured about spending time in airports but I'm going to try to enjoy it for what it is, getting to visit many new places is better than the boring office now I suppose. I will definitely get a Kindle and noise cancelling earphones. Washbag is a great idea. I have to use my company system for booking but I want to try to collect points in hotels and airlines so need to figure out how this is going to work - can you apply them after booking? I've found a credit car that gives you points and miles but I already have a company credit card which ties into the expenses system so I think I have to use that unfortunately. Still I want to know how to maximise my points for the different airline I will travel on. Someone mentioned pick an alliance and stick to it. Can you expand, any further advice?

endofrainbow

The main alliances are SkyTeam, OneWorld and Star Alliance. For example, KLM/Air France and Delta are members of SkyTeam. Generally speaking, if you are a member of one, you will be able to enter to FF number and gain miles for flights within the scheme although sometimes code-shares won't give you 100% of miles flown.

You will need to research which airline gives the best returns based on your routings.

LimeFruitGum

Unfortunately all my European business travel over the past two years has been with Ryanair Aer Lingus is often twice the price for my usual destination, and it doesn’t get me any closer.

I do get the occasional long-haul to the US though, so I registered my Aer Lingus Aer Club with Avios and bank up some points that way. You can also connect your Super Valu card, booking.com account with Avios too. You can use it for British Airways, and lots of other online stores such as M&S, Debenhams etc.

You will work longer hours than usual while you are away. If at all possible, try to get a decent walk (or whatever exercise option is available to you) in the evening to tire yourself out properly. I find my mind is usually racing and buzzing from thinking about all the things I still need to do or follow up on while I’m on site. I need to physically work it off, otherwise I would never get any kip.

swampgas

Get a Tripit Pro account. If your company uses Concur you can often get TripIt Pro for free.

dudara

When you sign up for hotel loyalty schemes, keep an eye out for their “bonus” periods and make sure you sign up for it. You can seriously boost your points/nights this way.

Pick 1-2 airlines and 1-2 hotel chains and try to place all your bookings there. In my case, it’s AL and KLM/Air France as airlines and then Marriott/Starwood and IHG for hotels.

OldMrBrennan83

Beat advice is to change job to one where you don't have to. It's a killer.

My top 5 8:

1. NEVER drink the free wine/champagne or eat too much; the true tragedy of business travel is that it's never worth it (but do go obnoxiously overboard when the frequent flyer miles kick in and you get to fly business when upgraded going on holidays )
2. water water water
3. Melatonin for a night or two after you have flown west to east and you want to reset your clock
4. Bose noise cancelling headphones
5. Force yourself to exercise - cardio and breaking a sweat works great when tired/jetlagged

THE WORK FOR ME - BUT MOST PEOPLE THINK I'M MAD ONES:
6. Luggage - unless transfers look really dodgy I always check in a big case, and fly with a teeny hand bag with just my headphones, phone and kindle. Weather patterns, gym gear, just in case gear, shoe options, candle... makes me feel more prepared and at home :P
Had an issue once ORD - DFW --> but because I was early had a little time to shop the next morning before suitcase arrived.
7. Avoid bad transfers if at all possible (eg don't even think about O'Hare in winter) and I would for example route through Heathrow to get a longer direct leg - adds 2/3 hours, but you might make up for it in delays / option to sleep on a longer leg
8. Peak times can be stressful and wear you down after a bit: for example I will fly on a Sunday, sacrificing half a day off just to arrive early, get to have a nice workout, meal and 8 hours sleep in order to miss the horror that is Dublin airport at 7am on Monday

smurfjed

Get some good quality eye shades and foam ear plugs. As you will be based in Dubai look at the Emirates loyalty program and see which hotels are partnered with them, try to use the same hotel each time as once they get used to you they shall look after you.

Subcomandante Marcos

toiletry bag always packed with essentials, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, razors, foam, nail clippers, tweezers, glasses screw driver, etc.

Pick one airline alliance and stick with it as much as possible, same for hotel loyalty programmes and car rental, again when possible.

Keep every receipt you ever get on dates you're working, even if it's not really related, sure you may as well chance it.

If you're going to be going to the same places regularly, go to the same hotel EVERY time, be friendly, make connections, the staff will look after you if you look after them.

Flight socks, noise canceling headphones and a good neck pillow are essential.
Buy a nalgene water bottle, make sure you fill it in departures before boarding.
When possible wear loose fitting pants and sweaters when flying. I wear sweatpants and a hoodie if possible. The first thing you'll usually do is go to your hotel and shower, no point wearing a suit to meet an uber driver at the airport.

Bring your flight attendants chocolate. ALWAYS. Just grab a bag of something while passing through duty free and give it to them as your board. Make eye contact, tell them it's a gift because you know they work hard and they should enjoy it on their break. This will be rewarded with extra attention and even upgrades if you're lucky.

Learn a few words in the local lingo. Even just to say hello, goodbye, thank you, etc, it's massively appreciated by people.

smurfjed

Bring your flight attendants chocolate. ALWAYS.

Have you tried this recently?

Subcomandante Marcos

smurfjed wrote: »

Have you tried this recently?

Yes. Gave them a bag of M&Ms from Istanbul to Dublin. Well looked after.

secondrowgal

I’m amazed at the advice to pack nail scissors, nail file and tweezers in onboard toilet bag! Or am I reading this wrong?

It never made sense to me that you can bring a razor in your cabin luggage, and mascara is restricted

On topic, for long haul, ear plugs and/or noise-cancelling headphones are a must. If you’re female lots of panty liners for freshness. (May work for men too, don’t know ) Baby wipes or similar are great for freshening up in general. Always bring all medicine and clean/spare underwear in carry on luggage.

Drink lots of water.
Lots more water.

I load sleep/meditation music onto my iPhone, helps me sleep.

When you get on the plane, change your watch to the time zone of your destination and plan your sleep around this if possible.

Subcomandante Marcos

secondrowgal wrote: »

I’m amazed at the advice to pack nail scissors, nail file and tweezers in onboard toilet bag! Or am I reading this wrong?

Nobody said pack nail clippers or tweezers in their carry on, they said in their toiletry bag. I always travel with a checked bag and a small carry on backpack.
Feck the effort of dragging around a trolly bag for carry on.

smurfjed

LOL, OK, if my colleagues upgrade people these days and get reported, they have to pay the cost of the upgraded seat. One guy got a bill for $15,000

John_Rambo

Cali_girl wisely hinted at this and she's a bit more subtle than me!

Avoid the on-flight booze and keep fit and trim. Try and choose the healthiest food. The lifestyle can be a bit sedentary. Lots of sitting and waiting around that can lead to weight gain. I did it for a short time! You'll be a lot more comfortable on long flights if you're fit and not carrying weight. Wear good cotton underwear and decent non polyester clothing. Get the newest kindle that has the backlight so you can read it in the dark.

Lastly, a warm congratulations on the new job. Best of luck.

dudara

secondrowgal wrote: »

I’m amazed at the advice to pack nail scissors, nail file and tweezers in onboard toilet bag! Or am I reading this wrong?

I always have a nail clippers and tweezer in my toilet bag in my carry on luggage. They’re not an issue at all.

Watching what you eat is a really good point. I can correlate every period of weight gain in my life with a period of 1+ yr work travel. When you work abroad a few days a week, you will work long hours and you need to get exercise in, or get out for breaks. When I worked in the Netherlands, I could go the cinema regularly as they show films in English, which was a nice break.

If you’re at the same hotel regularly, you can leave a bag with gym clothes or toiletries with the front desk when you’re gone. You pick it up again the next time you check in. Saves you having to carry stuff home.

Laundry is usually a chargeable expense, so use it. You don’t have to bring an outfit for every day, instead get items laundered.

towger

Use TripIt.com

Batgurl

Mr.S wrote: »

Interesting, thanks. Which credit card offers it for free?

American Express Platinum. With this card I also get access to all Delta Lounges, Amex Lounges and Eurostar lounges.

This card also comes with auto-enrolment to Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold so if I stay in these hotels I get free breakfast, minibar, room upgrade (subject to availability). There is also free car hire upgrades and honestly a whole book full of travel bonuses. It really is a card tailored for travellers so may as well make great use of it.

whomitconcerns

Batgurl wrote: »

Mr.S wrote: »

Interesting, thanks. Which credit card offers it for free?

American Express Platinum. With this card I also get access to all Delta Lounges, Amex Lounges and Eurostar lounges.

This card also comes with auto-enrolment to Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold so if I stay in these hotels I get free breakfast, minibar, room upgrade (subject to availability). There is also free car hire upgrades and honestly a whole book full of travel bonuses. It really is a card tailored for travellers so may as well make great use of it.

I would second this, £450 or whatever uae equivalent is, it costs. But you easily get the value back!

ANXIOUS

Is there anyway that people can apply for the American express platinum in Ireland without having an existing account?

The J Stands for Jay

Batgurl wrote: »

American Express Platinum. With this card I also get access to all Delta Lounges, Amex Lounges and Eurostar lounges.

This card also comes with auto-enrolment to Hilton Gold and Marriott Gold so if I stay in these hotels I get free breakfast, minibar, room upgrade (subject to availability). There is also free car hire upgrades and honestly a whole book full of travel bonuses. It really is a card tailored for travellers so may as well make great use of it.

How did you manage to get three amex card? I've heard it's pretty much impossible to get here.

whomitconcerns

Op will be in uae. I'm in UK. Was damn near impossible to get in ireland, they wanted a bank guarantee...and my name isn't Jim Mansfield

Wanderer78

Never had to do it, but watch your health, in particular your diet and physical health. Best of luck and enjoy it

The J Stands for Jay

whomitconcerns wrote: »

Op will be in uae. I'm in UK. Was damn near impossible to get in ireland, they wanted a bank guarantee...and my name isn't Jim Mansfield

I was thinking that would be the answer. Is the bank guarantee only required in Ireland?

What Username Guidelines

Some great tips so far, I dont travel as much any more but some above I've never thought of.

– Bring a multi-socket and you'll only need 1 travel adapter to charge 4 things at once.
– Ensure you have some of your own time when booking trips. I went to some amazing places all over the world and spent the week/fortnight in an office, before I realised the opportunity to actually see some of the places. Then usually extended the trip a day or two into a weekend and did some sightseeing.
– Company credit card or a personal separate Credit Card to throw all expenses on so it's separate from your own finances
– Absolutely re-iterate the poster above about health. It's damn hard to eat well and find time to exercise. Drink copious amounts of water.
– If changing timezones frequently, find a method that works for you. Personally, setting watch to the destination time as soon as you board the flight always helped plan both when to sleep/nap and also when to eat on long haul.
– Chocolate thing absolutely worked in hotels, I used to pick up something Irish in DUB for about a fiver and when the hotel staff inevitably started chatting about Irish accent, "Oh, I got these for my client and they were buy one get one free, here". Sounds ridiculous but 90% of the time it resulted in an upgraded room.
– Noise cancelling over-ear headphones as mentioned are Vital
– Enjoy it when you can.

ted1

Batgurl wrote: »

Prestige so unlimited free visits for me and a guest. I get it free through my credit card though but even if I didn’t, I think I’d get it again. It’s about €300 per year (I frequently see discount codes for 25% off though) but well worth it.

You get unlimited food and drink (including alcohol) in most lounges as well as a nice quiet place to wait for your flight. When you consider how much you spend on airport food, snacks, coffee or beers (maybe €10-€20 per person, per flight) you only have to fly 15-30 flights (which is only 8-15 trips) a year to make your money back (even less if you bring a guest each time).

Plus going to the lounge means I’m never tempted to hit duty-free and buy unecessary things I don’t need!

Dublin has 2 very fine priority pass lounges (T2 even has cans of Club Orange and Guinness!) but the quality of the lounges vary from country to country. USA ones aren’t great for example but the lounge in Venice is a work of art.

All the stuff he buys in the airport should be on expensies, does your company allow you to expense the 300 Euro card ?

swampgas

I second the suggestion above to bring a multi-socket extension lead. I have four-socket extension lead with a 4 meter cord on it, which comes in handy both at hotels and whatever offices/venues I'm visiting as quite often there isn't a convenient socket nearby. That way I can plug in my phone/tablet/laptop and still have a spare.

When travelling is slightly dodgy countries I like to have the name and number of an in-country contact printed on paper so that I can either provide it or call it if I need any assistance with translations or bona fides.

Jentle Grenade

Spend time thinking about the kind of bag you need to make traveling easier for you and try to be a mindful packer. I take frequent short hops to Brussels/Strasbourg/London and I wish I had invested in a better bag from the beginning. I prefer a backpack solution but for me a rolling bag is a lot less hassle when on trips longer than 2 days.

First Up

I think you will need a second and possibly a third passport. You seem to be going to countries that require visas so unless you can get multi-entry visas you will have a lot applying to do.

If you are Dubai based you will be at the mercy of various countries' embassies. The closest will be in Abu Dhabi (capital of the UAE) but you might be dealing with some further away so your passport could be with DHL a lot of the time and it can take a week or longer to get visas.

You can get an extra passport (or two) but you will need support letters and the process is slow. Talk to the Passport Office - and your employer.

Zascar

Jentle Grenade wrote: »

Spend time thinking about the kind of bag you need to make traveling easier for you and try to be a mindful packer. I take frequent short hops to Brussels/Strasbourg/London and I wish I had invested in a better bag from the beginning. I prefer a backpack solution but for me a rolling bag is a lot less hassle when on trips longer than 2 days.

Any suggestions on the type of bag? I was thinking a light hard case with wheels, with a pocket at the front for my laptop..

Batgurl

ted1 wrote: »

All the stuff he buys in the airport should be on expensies, does your company allow you to expense the 300 Euro card ?

Not necessarily. He could have a per diem rate or his company may not allow him to expense alcohol (especially a middle eastern company). It also wouldn’t allow you to expense personal travel or the stupid things I always end up buying in duty free that I don’t need like giant packets of M&M’s

I’m lucky in that I don’t pay the annual fee but I’d imagine most employers would offer it if the employee showed the cost Vs return benefit of having the card. €350 a year is hardly a huge expense in the grand scheme of things.

However I didn’t realise Irish people couldn’t get Amex. I’ve had one for years since living in Australia. Sorry about that!

Batgurl

Zascar wrote: »

Any suggestions on the type of bag? I was thinking a light hard case with wheels, with a pocket at the front for my laptop..

Samsomite or Antler hard shell, double sided roller bag and a backpack laptop case. I put my handbag in the backpack with my laptop case to conform to most carry on 2 bag policies.

I also recommend investing in separators. They allow you to back according to your needs eg an outfit per day in each one or even put all your underwear in one, tops in another, toiletries in a third etc

Greg81

Batgurl wrote: »

I always end up buying in duty free that I don’t need like giant packets of M&M’s

Hey let's be serious for a moment here. Everyone one needs that!!!!

dudara

Zascar wrote: »

Any suggestions on the type of bag? I was thinking a light hard case with wheels, with a pocket at the front for my laptop..

I use a separate laptop bag and hard shell Samsonite spinner (4 wheel) case. You’ll probably still need a laptop bag regardless (unless you plan to bring your suitacse to meetings ), so I don’t see why you need a pouch on the front of your suitcase. Plus I wouldn’t want to put my laptop somewhere it could be easy banged into. I’m not a fan of gimmicks or hanging-on bits. They catch on things and break.

Tumi and Rimowa are also very good brands. A good suitcase will last for years. I recently retired my old Samsonite after 8 years on the road of long term travel. The suitcase itself was still fine but the handles had all given up the ghost in the last year or so.

Getting a suitcase with dividers or separate zipped compartments is useful. It keeps stuff neat and if you need to open it at secuirty, you can easily pull out what you need, rather than exposing everything. However, I generally pack so liquids & laptops are all in my laptop bag and therefore I don’t need to open my suitcase at security.

ThunbergsAreGo

Buy a Nintendo Switch

Found it great for my business trips

Jentle Grenade

Zascar wrote: »

Any suggestions on the type of bag? I was thinking a light hard case with wheels, with a pocket at the front for my laptop..

Clamshell backpack (I use the Goruck GR1) with an easy access laptop compartment is a must imo. How it fits is important because you'll be hauling it often. I have a cabin size Rimowa roller for longer trips. Both have been faultless and sturdy after multiple hard trips.

jester77

It's fun at the start but quickly becomes a drag. When you have frequent delayed flights, missed connections, lost luggage and poor hotels it starts to get the blood pressure soaring. The missing luggage one is the worst, I've had it missing for up to a week some times.

I was travelling a lot, actually cancelled my apartment contract at one stage because I was never there. Lived out of hotels for around 8 months straight and it was not fun. Evenings are lonely and basic things like doing laundry was a massive issue. Hotel laundry services are super expensive and dry cleaners usually don't have business friendly opening times.

Just enjoy it for a while, but have a backup plan for when it starts getting to you.

Batgurl

dudara wrote: »

I recently retired my old Samsonite after 8 years on the road of long term travel. The suitcase itself was still fine but the handles had all given up the ghost in the last year or so.

OT but Samsonite offer a 10 year guarantee so you could have brought it back to them!

Accidentally

If your company has a corporate travel website, you should be able to set up your airline, car hire and hotel membership cards on your profile. If in doubt, contact the travel partner.

If you use hire cars, pick one company and register a membership with them. It will save you hours of queuing at car hire desks and member cars are often much nearer the terminal.

Downloaded podcasts also good for flights.

Cannot overemphasise exercise and diet. It's too easy to eat in a hotel late in the evening and avoid exercise because you're mentally exhausted. Even a 20 minute run before breakfast will do wonders. If outside isn't an option, there are plenty of workouts than you can do in a hotel room that require no equipment.

Take photos of passport, driving licence and so on, and store in the cloud so you can still get them if your phone has gone walkabout. It's no end of help if you need to get replacement documents.

Make sure your company has a decent medical plan which actually works in the countries you are visiting

Get a financial advisor if your company doesn't provide one.

steamsey

Samsonite hard shell roller is what you want. Then a small Samsonite two wheeler with telescopic handle.

Keep your laptop, pair of pants, jocks, socks etc etc in the two wheeler carry on. If your luggage goes AWOL, at least you can rock up to work looking half decent. This saved me a few times.

Diet / health is the hardest thing to manage. Steer clear of fizzy drinks - they are all over the place when you're travelling and often free. Use gyms, don't drink every day. If you are disciplined you can exercise in the hotel room.

Get a portable hard drive full of stuff you want to watch. HDMI cable for laptop to broadcast it on hotel TV screen.

As everyone said, learn about / miles points and sign up on day one and pay attention to them. I believe there is a website than manages all your hotel / airline points with a single sign on. Just used Excel when I was travelling.

You can get a second passport - you get a letter from company saying you need it for visa purposes. Front desk passport office staff may find this strange but it can be done and again - saved me a few times. First time in Moscow, front desk of hotel took my passport to send to Immigration Dept. Told me I'd get it back next day (took few days in the end). So if it weren't for my second passport, I would have been going around Moscow with no passport, which is scarier than it sounds once you start soaking up the misery of Moscow (had a good time in fairness, but it's grim). Also you could need to send passport off when abroad, to other countries to get visas etc - you really, really need a second passport if you're going to be in countries that require visas.

See as much as you can - don't be lazy.